English Listening Practice — August 26, 2026

📈 Canada announces 'dollar-for-dollar' retaliatory tariffs on US as high as 50%

Canada has announced retaliatory tariffs of up to 50% on nearly C$28 billion in American imports.

Effective September 8, the countermeasures target goods ranging from steel and furniture to apparel.

The move directly mirrors 50% levies recently imposed on Canadian products by the Trump administration.

Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne emphasized that Canada must act to protect domestic workers and communities.

This reciprocal action marks a major escalation following the collapse of bilateral trade negotiations.

🎬 Moscow confirms visit of CIA Director John Ratcliffe

Moscow has confirmed that CIA Director John Ratcliffe recently held talks with Russian security services.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that President Vladimir Putin was promptly debriefed, though he did not attend the meetings.

Peskov expressed uncertainty about whether the dialogue could pull US-Russian ties out of their profound crisis.

Furthermore, he declined to confirm if the discussions touched upon the ongoing war in Ukraine.

President Donald Trump’s administration has not yet commented on the trip.

⚔️ More than 50 kidnapped as violent gang attack in Haiti leaves 47 dead

A devastating gang raid on the hillside district of Kenscoff, near Port-au-Prince, has left at least 47 people dead.

Armed assailants also abducted more than 50 residents during the assault.

According to the United Nations, this marks one of Haiti’s largest mass kidnappings in recent history.

A gang leader has threatened to execute the captives if authorities retaliate against his syndicate.

The deadly incursion severely undermines fragile hopes for stabilizing the region.

📈 Fed’s preferred inflation gauge shows core prices rose 3.3% annually in July

The Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge ticked up in July.

According to the Commerce Department, the headline personal consumption expenditures index rose 0.2% on a seasonally adjusted basis.

This pushed the annual rate to 3.7%.

Both figures came in one-tenth of a percentage point above market expectations.

Meanwhile, core PCE—which strips out volatile food and energy costs—met projections.

It advanced 0.2% on the month and 3.3% from a year earlier.

Policymakers generally view this core figure as a more reliable barometer of underlying, long-term trends.

⚡ Household energy bills to hit three-year high as Ofgem announces 4% rise from October

Energy regulator Ofgem has announced a four percent increase to its price cap, taking effect on October 1st.

This upward adjustment will propel domestic energy bills to a three-year high.

For a typical household, the revision translates to an annualized increase of sixty pounds.

Escalating wholesale gas prices tied to the conflict in Iran largely drove the decision.

However, over one-third of consumers on fixed tariffs will remain insulated from the immediate price rise.

📰 Sole Bank Indonesia governor candidate outlines 'pro-growth' policies

Bank Indonesia Acting Governor Destry Damayanti has formally outlined her pro-growth policy agenda before lawmakers.

She currently stands as the sole candidate nominated for the central bank’s top leadership position.

On August 26, Damayanti underwent a pivotal parliamentary fit-and-proper hearing in Jakarta.

During the proceedings, she pledged to work in close alignment with both parliament and the government.

At the same time, she assured lawmakers that the central bank will strictly maintain its institutional independence.

🚀 SpaceX plans to build a $100 billion spaceport in Louisiana

SpaceX plans to construct a massive $100 billion spaceport in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana.

The site will occupy a former Exxon property.

It is slated to host thousands of launches each year.

Once operational, the facility will serve as the primary launch hub for Starship.

State officials project the initiative will generate 3,000 direct jobs over the next decade.

It is also expected to create 8,100 indirect roles.

Elon Musk stated that the complex could ultimately bring roughly 10,000 jobs to the region.

🇨🇳 Taiwan charges nine people for smuggling ‘high-end’ AI servers to China

Taiwanese prosecutors have charged nine individuals for illicitly exporting high-end AI servers to mainland China.

The suspects include two Super Micro employees and one Nvidia staff member.

According to prosecutors, seventy-four banned B300 GPU servers successfully reached the mainland.

The illicit operation funneled fifty units through Indonesia and delivered sixteen directly.

An additional eight servers were routed through Japan and Hong Kong.

The indictment marks another major flashpoint in the US-China AI rivalry.

📰 Manhattan-sized ice island breaks off Greenland’s Petermann Glacier

On August 4, 2026, northwest Greenland’s Petermann Glacier calved a massive 76.4-square-kilometer ice island.

Roughly the size of Manhattan, the tabular iceberg spans up to 150 meters in thickness.

An international research team, spearheaded in part by the University of Ottawa, documented the rare detachment.

Glaciologist Adam Garbo identified the breakaway from the glacier's floating ice tongue.

This separation marks the site's most substantial ice loss since 2012 and the Arctic's largest calving event since 2020.

🎵 Dolly Parton, one of country music's most singular performers, has died at age 80

Country music luminary Dolly Parton has died at age 80.

Her representatives and nephew, Bryan Seaver, confirmed she passed away peacefully in Nashville, Tennessee, on August 25, 2026.

Publicist Marcel Pariseau subsequently attributed her death to a brief battle with cancer.

Parton’s singular performing career spanned seven decades, defined by prolific songwriting and ever-increasing prominence.

She ultimately transcended genre boundaries, evolving from a celebrated country star into a universally adored ambassador to popular culture.

📰 Postecoglou subs off Ronaldo to spark dramatic Al-Nassr comeback

Manager Ange Postecoglou executed a decisive tactical switch at half-time, withdrawing Cristiano Ronaldo with Al-Nassr trailing 2-0 against Al-Ettifaq.

Reduced to ten men, Al-Nassr mounted an extraordinary second-half resurgence.

Sadio Mane and Abdulelah Al Amri struck within three minutes to erase the deficit with thirteen minutes remaining.

Mane then netted the winner in added time to seal the victory.

The result fully vindicated Postecoglou's decision, securing Al-Nassr's third consecutive win.

🎬 Hollywood's summer box office is glowing, but the numbers come with startling caveats

North American movie theaters are currently pacing toward a landmark $4.5 billion summer.

This robust total easily eclipses past box-office benchmarks from 2019 and 2023.

Major studio tentpoles drove the momentum, headlined by Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

At the same time, surprise low-budget thrillers from YouTube creators, Obsession and Backrooms, injected $460 million into the tally.

This eclectic lineup has successfully drawn diverse demographics back to the cineplex.

As a result, domestic receipts are reaching their highest levels in a full decade.